Abstract
The year 2026 marked a definitive shift from passive Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to active, autonomous agents, epitomised by the viral proliferation of the ’Moltbot’ (formerly Clawdbot) framework. This Issue Brief analyses the rapid evolution of these agents, moving beyond simple automation to examine their impact on military operations, critical infrastructure, and societal resilience. It explores the ’Energy Paradox’ of agentic systems, provides a comparative strategic analysis of South Asian nations as well as China, and investigates the dual-use nature of agents i.e from autonomous drone swarms to securing power grids. The paper argues that; we are witnessing the birth of a new cyber-ecosystem offering ’soothing’ prospects of efficiency but presenting a ’terrifying’ reality of polymorphic threats. It concludes with recommendations for ‘Cyber Safe Automation Paths’ in national security contexts.
Keywords: Moltbot, Autonomous Agents, Agentic AI, Emergent Languages, Self-Replication, Shadow AI, Cyber Security, Critical Infrastructure, National Security
